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Success Stories

A mother and three daughters pose around a dining room table. There are lace curtains and blue wall in the background and some dishes on the table in the foreground.

“This is Home” – A Family Finds Their Forever Home in Calais, Maine

One of the first rooms Heather Gagne and her daughters began redecorating in their new home is the dining room, shown in the top photo. They have been busy repainting and making other updates. Raising a family in coastal Machias, Maine may sound lovely, but for Heather Gagne recent years proved stressful. There were few housing options in the Downeast community, and Heather was glad to find a rental home to…
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Use the filters below to find additional stories about how our programs have helped rural communities across the nation.

Search Results: 79 Stories
Dimock Dairy photo

New Coolers and LED Lighting Installed in Rural South Dakota Cheese Factory

Dimock Cheese is the oldest artisan cheese plant in South Dakota. They have been making quality cheese since 1931.  The factory, located 15 minutes south of Mitchell on Highway 37, is in the breadbasket of the heartland. The retail store is established in Dimock, with a… [Read More]
South Dakota
REAP
10kW Solar Array Powers Small Business

10kW Solar Array Powers Small Business

As a large producer of grapes and a connoisseur of wine, Bill Sanderson had a dream to own a Winery that offered a Tasting Facility and Event Hall. Construction costs and future operating expenses were a major obstacle for business owners, Bill and Marjie Sanderson. Discussing… [Read More]
Tennessee
REAP
Stuart Hometown Foods Stuart, Iowa

40-Year Dedication to Small-Town Grocery Stores

While growing or producing all of their own fruits, vegetables, dairy and meat is an option for some rural Iowa families, nearly every household today makes regular trips to grocery store. But fewer local grocery stores across the state mean more rural Iowans now live in food-… [Read More]
Iowa
REAP
Being an example in clean energy

Being an example in clean energy

Lunch time at E&S Mart in Altavista, Va., hums. A steady tide of customers and deliveries keeps the gas pumps ticking, the grill hot and the register open. Most of the faces are familiar ones. Many make small-talk over one of the high-top tables in the deli. Some will be… [Read More]
Virginia
REAPSolar Energy
Image of solar panels at Pomar Junction Winery in Templeton, California

Central Coast Winemaking Family Grows From 19th Century to 21st

On California’s Central Coast, the Merrill family can trace their winemaking heritage back to at least eight generations ago, to even a grape arbor that was planted in the 19th Century. After 30 years of growing grapes at other wineries, Dana and Marsha Merrill and their son… [Read More]
California
REAP
Consultants Key to Energy Grants

Consultants Key to Energy Grants

Nearly 300 South Dakota agricultural producers and small businesses have reduced their energy costs – and increased their bottom line - with help from local consultants.  Mike Twedt and Larry Jensen have helped these recipients by providing energy assessments and technical… [Read More]
South Dakota
REAP
Wentworth Family Grocery is a long, low building with yellow siding, large glass doors, and stone trim around the base of the building.

Energy Efficiency Improvements for Northport Grocery Store

High energy usage is a widely recognized concern when operating a grocery store; lighting, compressors, heating, cooling all have a negative impact on the bottom line. John and Rhonda Wentworth, the owner’s of Wentworth Family Grocery in Northport, were determined to increase… [Read More]
Maine
EnergyREAP
Chad Mortensen outside his variety store

Energy Efficiency Improvements Increase Longevity of Small Business

Chad Mortensen is a third-generation owner and operator of Marion’s Variety shop and restaurant in Roosevelt, Utah. Chad’s great aunt Marion Mortensen opened the business in 1933 after emigrating from Denmark. Over a span of 36 years Marion changed locations along the main road… [Read More]
Utah
EnergyREAPRenewable Energy
Malcolm Farms

Moorefield Poultry Farm Invests in Solar Power

 The Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia has in recent years established a vibrant poultry industry. The typical poultry farmer raises chickens from a young age and to do so, requires a significant amount of heating and energy. Energy costs for a poultry farmer can greatly… [Read More]
West Virginia
REAPRenewable Energy
Solar Energy Powers Year-Round Greens Production

Solar Energy Powers Year-Round Greens Production

Baby Greens, a farm located in Kingston, Rhode Island, is putting a convenient spin on the term “farm to table.” The chemical-free organic farm produces a mixture of salad greens that owner Jeffery Kamminga hand delivers to local homes and businesses year round. In August of… [Read More]
Rhode Island
REAPSolar Energy

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